Casket-mattress.



H. M. LEONARD. GASKET MATTRESS. urpmuron FILED MAY 9, 1910.

Patented Mar.28,1 911.

flW/MZZWMIZ Witnesses v Inventor Atto rn eys m: NORRIS PETERS co wAsniuaroN. n. c.

1T $T ES CASKET-MATTRESS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY M. LEONARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Itantoul, in the county of Champaign and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Casket-Mattress, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved casket mattress intended to present all the advantages possessed by mattresses of this class now in use and at the same time to overcome their disadvantages.

It is customary, at the present time, to

.- support the head end of a casket mattress upon an easel like rest or to stuff the head end of such a mattress to afford a head rest or pillow of a definite thickness. In the former instance, the easel like support may be adjusted to adjust the head end of the mattress, but such adjustment is angular in character and as a result the head of the corpse is liable to be tilted forwardly to such degree as to assume an unnatural position. In the latter instance, no adjustment whatsoever can be secured.

It is therefore the object of the present invention to so construct a casket mattress that the head end portion thereof may be adjusted so as to support the head of the corpse at the desired elevation and also at the desired angle so that the head may be tilted forwardly or backwardly as may be desired.

The principle of the invention, resides in a broad sense, in providing a casket mattress of such length, over all, as to be of a greater length than the casket in which it is to be disposed. and in rolling or folding the head end portion of the mattress to afford a head rest of a height depending on the number of rolls or folds made at the time of arrangement of the mattress in the casket.

Specifically, the invention resides in the provision of a casket mattress having its head end portion divided and so constructed that the parts afforded by such division will be in superposed relation with the upper part of greater length than the lower part whereby to normally project beyond the head end of the under part but adapted to be rolled or folded to afford a head rest resting upon the upper side of the said under part.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a casket mattress constructed in accordance with the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 9, 1910.

Patented Mar. 28, 1911.

Serial No. 560,274.

present invention, the mattress being shown in condition before disposal in a casket. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illustrating the mat-tress properly arranged within a casket.

In the drawings, the mattress is indicated in general by the reference numeral 5 and is primarily in the form of a stuffed body of a size and shape, generally speaking, to fit within a casket of predetermined dimensions. At the time of manufacturing the mattress, it is, at its head end, divided as at 6 so as to afford a basal layer 7 at one end of the mattress, and an overlying layer 8 of about the same thickness but longer, it being also of the same width although of a length to extend considerably beyond the head end of the portion 7, that is when fully extended.

From the foregoing description it will be readily understood that the body of the mattress, including its portion 7, is of a length equal to the length of the casket in which the mattress is arranged, and that the mattress is however, over all, of a length greater than the length of the casket. In arranging the mattress in the casket, it is disposed bodily therewithin and its portion 8 is then rolled under once or several times to afford a head rest of the desired height or thickness and resting upon the upper side of the portion 7 of the mattress body. It will be observed that the portion 8 is of a length nearly equal to twice the length of the portion 7 so that the several rolls or folds may be formed in the portion 8 to constitute a head rest which as an entirety will cover the entire upper side of the portion 7 so as to leave no part thereof exposed to view. Further it will be understood that the division 6 extends from the head end of the mattress to such apoint in the length of the mattress that the head rest or portion 8 may be folded upon itself a single time or may be rolled or folded several times, its upper or head edge in the former instance, lying directly in the angle of the division 6 with the fold substantially coincident with the corresponding edge of the portion 7. In the latter instance. in which several folds or rolls are made in the portion 8, the head rest will be positioned, bodily, nearer the head extremity of the mattress than with respect to the angle of the division 6.

What is claimed is A casket mattress comprising a body lonmy own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two wltnesses.

HARRY M. LEONARD.

gitudinally bifurcated at its head end to afford a basal layer and an overlying layer the overlying layer being of sufficient length to extend considerably beyond the end of the basal layer when fiat and being adapted to be rolled to afford a head rest.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as Witnesses N. H. WHEAT, FAY MILLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

